Television

Among all the skills necessary for a music supervisor to master, perhaps the most difficult is how to be an ally to everyone. No two collaborators are the same. Different taste. Different agendas. Different levels of tech savviness. The list goes on. Producers, Studio Executives, Music Editors, Editors, family friends, spouses…I’ve seen all of these folks be called in to submit their opinions on song selection at one time or another. Of course, the most important person to please on the creative team is the director. The director needs to feel taken care of, confident that you are doing everything in your power to serve their vision and make their precious baby come to life exactly how they’d like (which I don’t mean in a derogatory way – I’m sure any director will agree to the film/baby analogy).

But it’s not just those making the film or television show that a music supervisor has to attend to. Even when there are zero dollars in the budget to bargain with, labels and publishers also need to feel appreciated and valued. To know that you are always fighting to get their artists paid what they are worth. It’s their job to support their artists, and to do so they need you to support them. For a music supervisor, problems arise when these two core desires (to complete the director’s vision and ability to pay artists a good/fair price) come into direct conflict.

With the annual South By Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival now just days away, industry professionals from blogger to supervisor are all hustling to catalog, notate and RSVP to entire inboxes full of artist schedules and event invitations. Of course, the day they land in Austin on March 14 (or earlier), the meticulous work will all be in vain, swept away by word of mouth and tagging along with friends to that secret show no one else knows about. Thus is the glorious standard operating procedure at SXSW.

For most people I know, the above rarely includes conference panels. It’s easy to enjoy the festival without spending the $500 – $750 on a badge, and avoiding the Austin Convention Center entirely. Still though, SXSW was founded on a conference and that is still at it’s core.(more…)

Yesterday morning, key players in the field of music supervision all gathered at Magnolia Downtown to honor the outstanding accomplishments of their peers. The crowd, comprised of music libraries, labels, publishers, studio executives and independent supervisors large and small, was chatty and buoyant (possibly due to the free flowing champagne, mimosas and bellinis), packing the restaurant and spilling out onto both the front and rear patios. As always, with this tight knit community, it felt more like a casual garden party than a formal affair. Presenters giggled their way through the lists of nominees, and tossed out industry inside jokes on the fly. Even a few technical difficulties couldn’t dampen the mood.(more…)

It seems as though the 54th Annual Grammy Awards have received more flak from the indie community this year than any other year (in my memory at least). Weren’t we all over “Grenade” by last February? Didn’t Mumford and Sons Sigh No More come out in 2009? Bon Iver for Best New Artist? For Emma, Forever Ago was released in 2008. And if the music community scoffed (mostly) anonymously into the social media ether, Justin Vernon made his reaction public.

I’ve never been a football fan. Not a real one at least. I mean, I grew up watching the Giants and Notre Dame with my family. I made it to the occasional football game at Northwestern to support my alma mater. Now I guess I’m an Eagles fan, because I generally like it when my boyfriend is in a good mood Sunday evenings. However, I’m also innately attracted to anything that brings people together. So you know how some people are “social smokers”? They will only have a cigarette when out with friends, or after a few drinks at a party. I’ll call myself a social football fan. I usually won’t elect to watch a game on my own, but I do enjoy it with a group. Especially if I can provide the appetizers and craft beer.

All of that said, I do love fantasy football. I don’t play it – as you might guess from reading the above, I would likely fail miserably, or scramble my brain trying to learn everything I possibly could all at once – but still I find it way more exciting to watch the points climb for my boyfriend’s fantasy team than any real one. A battle between him and his old roommate feels far more important than two collectives of people I have no personal connection with.

It also increases the social aspect of football. You can connect with coworkers, friends and even strangers on a new level; now there are double, triple or quadruple the teams to commiserate with them about (depending on how many leagues you are in). It’s another common thread to bond over, like a favorite band or obsession with Greek cuisine. Fantasy leagues also have the power to create and maintain friend groups that otherwise may not exist – it’s amazing the bond some aggressive trash-talking can forge.

Which brings me to The League. I am woman, I am not a football fan, and I believe this is one of the funniest shows on television. Possibly the funniest. Yes, it features a group of friends who are all in a fantasy football league, but it’s more about their friendship and hilarious fumbles (pun intended) trying to pass off as adults. It never gets old to observe lawyers, married couples, doctors or divorcees, act like complete assholes win a trophy that was named after a high school nerd, in fact, it’s compelling television. Whether laughing or cringing, good luck trying to keep a straight face while watching.(more…)

Posts navigation

HELLO!

Amanda Krieg Thomas is a Music Supervisor in Los Angeles at leading music supervision company, Neophonic Music & Media.

Tadpole Audio is her personal blog of industry advice, news, and sometimes even music she likes (and thinks you might as well!) All opinions are her own. Her music supervision credits can be found here, and professional bio can be found here.

She also enjoys craft beer, entertaining friends, good coffee, living on the border of Silverlake and Echo Park, but being a Connecticut girl at heart, adventures large and small with her husband and two cats, roadtrips, spin, yoga, and brunch.